Second suspect held in UK serial-killer hunt

A second man has been arrested on suspicion of the murders of five prostitutes in the eastern English town of Ipswich, police said on Tuesday.

The 48-year-old man was arrested in Ipswich itself early on Tuesday, a day after a 37-year-old man was detained in a village outside the eastern port town, said Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull.

The arrest comes after police found the bodies of five prostitutes within 10 days—Gemma Adams (25), Tania Nicol (19), 24-year-olds Anneli Alderton and Paula Clennell, and 29-year-old Annette Nicholls.

“A 48-year-old man was arrested at his home address in Ipswich at approximately 5am this morning,” said Gull.

“He has been arrested on suspicion of murdering all five women,” he added, referring to the five prostitutes whose bodies were found within 10 days in the high-profile case, which has gripped the nation for weeks.

The second suspect was arrested near the red-light district in the centre of Ipswich, according to Sky News.

Detectives have already been given an extra 12 hours to grill the 37-year-old man arrested Monday in the high-profile probe.

The first suspect, identified by media reports as local supermarket worker Tom Stephens, was arrested at his home in Trimley, a few kilometres outside of Ipswich.

Police have refused to formally name the man they arrested. At the weekend, Stephens gave a newspaper interview in which he insisted he was innocent but admitted to knowing all five of the women and being unable to explain where he was at the times of the killings.

All the bodies were found naked in the countryside on the outskirts of the town, sparking fears of a serial killer on the loose.
None showed signs of having been subjected to significant trauma or serious sexual assault before dying.

The case has triggered comparisons with the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, convicted of the murders of 13 women between 1975 and 1980, and Jack the Ripper, who killed five east London prostitutes in 1888.—AFP